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Michael Phelps is returning to Olympic swimming — this time, from the broadcasting booth.
The most decorated Olympian of all time will join the NBC Olympics broadcasting team as a primetime correspondent in Tokyo, the network announced on Monday. When the Games begin on Friday, Phelps will join Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines in the booth for select swimming competition.
Phelps had joined the NBC Sports team on several nights at the Olympic trials for swimming last month in Omaha, Nebraska. NBC Olympics, a division of NBC Sports Group, is producing and programming NBCUniversal’s coverage of the 2021 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“From the moment he joined our team at Trials, Michael’s ability to provide insightful analysis, thoughtful commentary and tell entertaining stories was apparent,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president at NBC Olympics Production. “We’re thrilled to have him join us in Tokyo, and our audience will benefit from hearing the perspective of the most decorated Olympian of all time.”
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With his 23 gold and 28 overall medals, Phelps has won more Olympic medals than anyone in history. Phelps competed in five Olympic Games, from 2000-2016, and holds the world record in the 400m individual medley. In 2008, he established the Michael Phelps Foundation to promote healthy and active lives, especially for children, by expanding participation opportunities in the sport of swimming. His career was also recently documented on the small screen in Peacock’s three-part series Michael Phelps: Medals, Memories & More.
Days away from the Opening Ceremony and with Tokyo under its fourth state of emergency amid a rise in Delta variant COVID-19 cases, public concern in Japan remains high that hosting the Games — an event involving athletes, officials and journalists entering the country from around the world — will endanger the lives of local residents amid the pandemic. Sunday saw the first positive tests to come from the Olympic Village “bubble,” as well as American tennis superstar Cori “Coco” Gauff announcing that she will not take part in the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19.
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